


A thousand Armies (couldn't keep me out)

by orphan_account



Series: My Arianne [1]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Angst, Arianne Pendragon, Canon Divergent, F/M, Romance, Rule 63, genderbent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-17
Updated: 2015-03-17
Packaged: 2018-03-18 04:46:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3556577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He's the mighty warlock lord, she's the daughter of the mad king behind the scour of his people. They'll forever be on the wrong sides of the battlefront, but dear God he loves her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A thousand Armies (couldn't keep me out)

**Author's Note:**

> Consists of a girl Arthur, and a warlock lord Merlin. Because I can.  
> Sooo....  
> eh. whatever.

This was never supposed to happen. 

He's standing by her side on the battlements, watching the people of Camelot milling around in the morning light. The city square is buzzing, as it always is, in the morning. Here he sees the cook haggling over potatoes and corn at market, and there he sees old Tom, the blacksmith, hammering at another hauberk, or perhaps a helm. He wonders who it's for. And wryly, he wonders if it will be enough to survive the hellfire blasts of magic that Morgause will throw their way.

Camelot must prepare for battle, and heedless of the peace that prevails in the square, he knows that war is coming. 

As does the wo-gir-kni- _Gods why is she so hard to define?- **princess**_ standing by his side. She stands, straight as a ramrod, her shoulders tense, and her knuckles white clutching the battlements. He knows better than to disturb her, she needs this quiet, this calm. After all, her world is on the brink of caving in.

And even if Merlin were not the Grand warlock of Cenred's army, and just a plain old manservant, he'd have known that.

It's strange, how far they'd come, the warlock and the princess. When he'd first met her, he'd thought she was terrible. A bully and a prat to boot, with her smug smile and her swinging arms. The girl who tried to be a boy, because her  _father_ could not bear the shame of having produced a daughter, instead of the promised son. It made it no better that the said daughter's birth had taken the mother's life.

A life for a life. That was the pact. And that was what had triggered the Great purge.

Merlin had been a child of a year when the witch hunters had begun to scour the land of magic. When they'd struck to the Isle of the blessed, and defiled the altar of the Goddess. And that was when Nimueh had vowed revenge.

They'd been planning for years, gathering sorcerers and priestesses and dragonlords. And they'd found him. The prophesied Emrys. The man born to bring peace to all Albion. 

"You were born to unite the land, as the druids say;" Morgause had told him. He'd never heard what the Druids had to say about the subject. Iseldir heartily disapproved of Morgause and Cenred, heartily disapproved of Merlin's training under them. 

"You were not born to fester hate as they do." was all he'd say on the subject, on the rare occasions when they'd met. And perhaps he was not.

If what he felt for  _her,_ the enemy, was anything to go by, hate was so unnatural to him. For he-  _Gods have mercy-_ he-

He could not bear to think of it. 

"Look at them Merlin. Calm, and content, going their way, for once happy. The harvest was good this year, and I convinced father to lower the taxes."  _So you did. He slapped you for insubordination, but I never loved you more than I did just then._ "There's going to be hell coming our way. They deserve peace." he's silent. He doesn't want to say anything. Truth be told he feels sick when she speaks so. And the weight of what she does not know, what she thinks she knows, the weight of his lies and his deceit, it bears on him like a millstone.

He fears it will kill him.

"Merlin?" She turns to him, and he thinks he'll never stop catching his breath each time he looks at him. She's not beautiful, not like Morgana or Nimueh or Morgause. She's tall and flat chested, with a sharp jaw and wheat coloured hair. But she catches his eye over and over with he own, and Merlin wouldn't mind drowning in them. 

If Arianne had been the prince the land had prayed for, there would be no question as to who the most handsome prince in the kingdoms was. There was something inanely princely about her.

"Yes?"

"Is there any hope?"

And if he could kick himself again for coming here in the first place, he'd do it. "there's always hope."

This was not what he had planned.

"We'll capture the city. Uther must die, and his disgusting daughter. But Morgana is my half sister, and I will not have her endangered. Emrys, you will wed her and bring her to our side. Poor child, she must be going mad with fear." Morgause had let him in on the plan, and he had not objected. After all, the Lady Morgana was beautiful, brave and kind, and Merlin was certain he could come to love her. And so he had sneaked into Camelot, partly to learn their defenses, and partly to see his bride to be.

On the way, he'd gotten apprenticed to the Court physician, and ended up saving the Crown Princesses life. (It had been reflex; Besides, Morgause and Nimueh would want the joy of killing her themselves). Uther had thought it fitting that he be her footman, as a  _reward_ (Gods be good, who on Earth would think serving the repulsive Pendragons was a  _reward?)_

He'd made friends too. Kind and pretty Gwen, the loyal first knight (and Arianne's almost brother) Leon, and odds and ends that served in the castle. He'd become acquainted well with the stocks, and the rotten fruit being thrown at him, and thus earned the strange love of the city's children. He was even a dear friend of the Lady Morgana, who without a doubt was the most beautiful woman he'd seen. And Gaius, he was the closest thing to a father that Merlin was going to get. Gaius had found out about his magic the minute he crossed the Physician's chambers, and taken him under his wing before the sun had set that day.

And somewhere between walking through these gates and right now, Camelot had become home. With friends. And a sort of family. 

And then he'd gone and fallen in love. With the wrong girl.

It wasn't supposed to be like this.

Morgana was the  _pretty_ one. And the intelligent one. She was practically perfect, in contrast to the duller Arianne, who love to play swords and act all high and mighty. And yet, as Merlin found to his own chagrin, the bluffest of exteriors was only an armour for something much softer. Something he'd like to hold. And kiss. And taste, God forbid. And that she was brave and selfless when it came to her people didn't help them any. Neither did the fact that he owed her his life. As she did, him.

 Perhaps he really _was_ the complete idiot she thought him to be. Oh well. He had it on good source that she felt the same for him as he did for her. Which would have exhilarated him, had it been any other female. Even a troll. Or a Sidhe.

"Is there any other way out?" Arianne muses. Merlin knows it's partly directed at him, partly at herself. He is quiet. "Do you think Cenred could be cajoled into a peace treaty?"  _No._ He thinks.  _Not with Morgause at his side. She wants you dead, and your father._

"I thought you liked fighting." He says, stupidly. She glares at him. "Not at the price of the innocent. They've done no wrong, they've burned no sorcerers. They deserve life! And they say he's got Dragons with him." she adds softly.

"You could always surrender." She gives him a strange look. "He'd kill father then. And besides, it would be cowardly. Cenred is no kind man. I'd rather die happy that I tried to safeguard the kingdom.

"So it's partly your pride too?" "What? NO! It's not my pride at all, it's- it- shut up, will you Merlin?" she's tense and close to breaking. He didn't mean to take it this far. He lays a hand on her shoulder. "My lady-"

She squeezes his hand. "Don't." she says. "Don't say a word. Just stay here a moment with me."  _Gladly. For the rest of our lives, if you need it._

"There's a war coming." she says, softly. "People are going to die."

"They are. They know that, I think. And they're willing to die for Camelot. For you." "And I have no right to demand it of them." Merlin is silent.  _It's their choice, not yours._

"You didn't. You're trying to save them." She whirls around quickly, clutching his wrist painfully. And it hurts.

"Oi prat, let go!"

"Promise me you'll survive."

"What?" Did she really say that? 

"Promise me, Merlin. I couldn't- I don't think- just stay safe, will you? Go back home, if you must."

 _Arianne, please. I'm not worth it._ "What?"  


"You're a distraction. I'll always-" He knows what was going on in her head.  _I'll always be worrying for you._

If he's ever felt terrible about lying to her before, it is nothing compared to how he feels now. Like he's no longer Emrys the warlock, but Merlin, the Physician's apprentice, the common serving boy.

And so he does what any boy would do, when the girl he loves as good as tells him that she loves him.

He kisses her.

Somewhere in his mind he knows that this is wrong in a thousand different ways. He's the enemy, and even if he wasn't he's a serving boy, an apprentice. He's a liar, and she trusts him for God knows what reason.

On the other hand, that is one spectacular kiss. Arianne melts into him, into every angle, every crevice, with her fingers in his hair. He knows she's never been kissed before, she's hinted as much, and Morgana's never made a secret of Arianne's pitiful love life. 

_I'm sorry, forgive me, I love you I love you..._  


She breaks the kiss, and lays her forehead on his. 

"Go home, Merlin. Go back home."

_You are my home._  


"It's not safe anymore. Cenred has Dragons and Dragonlords and Sorcerers. And the Warlock king. Emrys. There's no way I could stand against that."

He's got a destiny, to free the magical folk. And the only way out is to end the Pendragons. And if that means giving up Arianne...

He swallows a sob, wondering if he should make her forget him. He dares not. It would destroy him.

In another life, they would be on the same side of the fence, fighting side by side, loving each other to the end of it all. But in this life, all they will have is a kiss and their hearts on the line.

Perhaps, he thinks, perhaps they will meet in battle and cross swords. She'll slash his hood off, and see his face and...

He prays that she will not die by his hand. He prays that she will be safe until he finds her. 

He prays that he will be able to plead mercy for her sake.

And he prays that she will yet forgive him.

For God knows, he loves her. 

And God knows she loves him in return.


End file.
